December 31, 2015

From the designer that brought us a First Order stormtrooper helmet, here is a paper model of the helmet of Kylo Ren, the villain of Star Wars: Episode VII. As with the stormtrooper helmet, the model comes in both a full size (wearable) version and a scaled down version. The PDF templates for the helmets may be downloaded here. Unlike Darth Vader whose face is not revealed until the third movie, Kylo Ren removes his helmet in the first movie in which he makes an appearance! How times have changed. ^^

December 30, 2015

When Chris at Paperschnitzel started playing a Lord of the Rings miniatures game with his son, he found he was in need of some props. So he did what any creative dad would do, he built the props himself! Pictured above are examples of the papercraft architecture he created to represent the hill fort city of Edoras, the capital of Rohan. Free printable templates for each of the pieces may be found here. In the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, Rohan is a country ruled by horse-lords whose architecture reflects their equestrian culture.

December 29, 2015

As Apocalypse is one of my favorite X-Men characters, I am excited he will be the "bad guy" in the next X-Men movie. This papercraft Apocalypse by Mariano DG is based on a 3D model from a video game. The finished model stands 16" (41 cm) tall. The Pepakura PDO and PDF templates for the model may be downloaded here. X-Men: Apocalypse is scheduled for release in May 2016.

December 28, 2015

Here's something to brighten your new year: a free 2016 desktop calendar in the shape of dodecahedron. The printable calendar comes in a pre-colored version with ten colors or a black and white version you can color yourself. The PNG template for the calendar may be downloaded here. Also available is a cutting file for a Silhouette cutting machine.

December 24, 2015

Martha Stewart offers a collection of five Christmas paper toys on her website. The delightful collection includes a snowman, an elf, a nutcracker, Santa, and a rocking horse reindeer. Stewart commissioned Tokyo paper artist Keisuke Saka to design the group. Not much time left until Christmas, better start printing now! Hope your holidays are happy.

December 23, 2015

Every year for the past five years Anthony Herrera has released a different set of Star Wars themed paper snowflake patterns. This year's snowflakes feature (what else?) Star Wars Episode VII! Characters in the collection include a First Order stormtrooper, Rey, BB-8, Kylo Ren, Finn, and Po Dameron. PDF patterns for the snowflakes may be downloaded here.

December 17, 2015

Three years in the making, this papercraft Optimus Prime was a labor of love for Laul, it's designer. The model is of Optimus as he appears in the 2010 video game, Transformers: War for Cyberton. Although Laul might have been able to use a 3D model from the video game to create his papercraft, he instead chose to create a 3D model from scratch based on screen captures from the game. The finished model stands 15.7 inches (40 cm) tall. Templates and instructions may be downloaded at Paperlaul.

December 15, 2015

If you use a large enough square of paper, this origami angel could work as an elegant Christmas tree topper. A detailed folding diagram for the angel is located here. The angel takes 46 separate steps in order to complete. Well worth the effort!

December 14, 2015

The Victorian house that played a significant part in the Disney Pixar movie UP has inspired quite a few paper models. The thing I appreciate most about this model from Peach Bum is that it is easy! The template for the model has only 18 parts contained on 5 pages. The creator of the model went so far as to figure out how many real life helium balloons it takes to keep their papercraft house aloft (nine). Carl would be proud. ^^ If this house model is not challenging enough for you, give this one a try instead. :)

December 13, 2015

Jules Verne's 1896 novel, Facing the Flag, features an experimental submarine named the HMS Sword. The fictional English submarine is described in the book as having a commander and a crew of four. This paper model of the Sword was designed and built by Pavel Styl. A PDF template for the sub is available here. Pavel, who is a prolific designer of paper models, also offers an excellent collection of papercraft churches.

December 11, 2015

These DIY Marvel superhero treat boxes would be a hit at a child's birthday party for sure, but they would work great for most any holiday or celebration with Marvel Comics fans in attendance. The boxes are a fan art creation by illustrator M. Gulin. Free PDF templates for the boxes may be downloaded here. For the non-Marvel fan, depicted on the boxes are Spider-Man, Captain America, and Iron Man.

December 9, 2015

This papercraft Santa Claus mask is based on a 3D model from the Payday series of video games. The Payday games follow the exploits of a group of bank robbers who wear various masks to commit their crimes. A Santa mask is one of several masks that may be unlocked in the game. The Pepakura PDO template for the mask may be downloaded here. Looking for a easier Santa mask? Try this 2D Doctor Who Robot Santa mask.

December 6, 2015

This origami Santa Claus ornament makes a good Christmas project to do with children. The Santa is folded from a single square of paper that is red on one side and white on the other. Designed by origami artist Beth Johnson, the crease pattern for the ornament is available on her Flickr page. Beth has been designing origami since 2010.

December 3, 2015

Angry Birds Transformers is the tenth game in the Angry Birds series of apps. In the game, the familiar birds take on the identities of the Transformers. This fan art papercraft is of the red bird as Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots. The PDF template and instructions for the model may be downloaded at ZRP Papercraft.

November 30, 2015

This printable papercraft Santa sleigh comes complete with all the presents shown. I think it would be fun to build this for a friend and actually put a small gift inside each one of the tiny boxes. The PDF template for the sleigh is offered by the Brother Company as a free download to promote their color printers. Check out their other Christmas papecraft while you are there!

November 29, 2015

Sephiroth, a popular antagonist in the Final Fantasy extended universe, is immediately recognizable by the seven foot long kantana blade he wields. This chibi paper model of Sephiroth was created by Paper Juke. A Pepakura PDO template for the model may be downloaded here. Sephiroth's first appearance was in the 1997 Final Fantasy VII video game. Papercraft build photo by Sinsis.

November 23, 2015

Here's a blast from the past (no pun intended): a full size paper model of a Colonial blaster pistol from the original Battlestar Galactica television series. The model is somewhat complicated to build as some of the parts in the muzzle are constructed from sheets of clear plastic, but the end result is marvelous! The PDF template for the gun was created by Marcell von dem Berge and may be downloaded at Steve's Paper. Battlestar Galactica aired on ABC for a single season which began in 1978.

I like the geometric quality of this Christmas reindeer papercraft. The color is nice too, especially the bits of color added to the antlers. The reindeer was offered as a free download by Media Molecule during the 2012 holiday season. Fortunately, the template is still available today and may be downloaded here.

November 18, 2015

The Joker is one of the most iconic comic book characters in the world. He is the very antithesis of his archenemy, Batman. This fan-made paper model of the Joker was created by DeviantART member Wackywelsh. A printable PDF may be downloaded here. Wackywelsh based his model on a template developed by Xavier Gale-Sides. Previously posted superhero papercraft in this style include: The Avengers, The X-Men, Loki, Doctor Octopus, The New Mutants, Superman and Supergirl.

November 16, 2015

Actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman play Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson in the popular BBC television series, Sherlock. As part of a "Let's Draw Sherlock" project on Tumblr, Bluebell of Baker Street created paper dolls of the two detectives. Each doll comes with five changes of clothes. A download of the printable dolls may be found here. Sherlock Season 4 is scheduled to begin filming in Spring 2016.

In the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII movie, a new droid by the name of BB-8 will be introduced. BB-8 is known to be in Episode VII because he made an appearance in the very first teaser trailer for the film. Like R2-D2, BB-8 is an astromech droid, a type of robot who functions as both a mechanic and a co-pilot for certain spacecraft in the Star Wars universe. This printable paper toy BB-8 was created by Fold Up Toys and may be downloaded here. Episode VII is scheduled to be released on December 18!

November 11, 2015

When I first came across this origami, the first thought that came to my mind was: Thanksgiving turkey. However, as I discovered later, it is not an origami turkey. It's a roasted chicken! Be that as it may, it still works well as a Thanksgiving decoration. The crease pattern for the turkey, er I mean chicken, was created by Joseph Wu and may be downloaded here. Build photo by Shuki Kato.

November 9, 2015

Dragons play a significant role in the 1999 video game, Drakan: Order of the Flame. In the game, a young woman named Rynn and her companion, a red dragon named Arokh, fight to free Rynn's brother from the clutches of an evil sorcerer. This papercraft dragon designed by DeviantART member Metalfist0 is based on a 3D model from Drakan. A Pepakura PDO template for the model may be downloaded here. As far as dragon paper models go, I consider this model to be intermediate difficulty. Looking for a simple dragon model? Try this 2.5D dragon model. Looking for something challenging? Try this Skyrim frost dragon papercraft!

November 5, 2015

Remember, remember the fifth of November... is the anniversary of Tektonten Papercraft! Yes, seven years ago today I began blogging about the wonderful world of papercraft. Today's photo features four of my pop culture paper models from years gone by. Each one has something to do with an eye. Starting on the left and going clockwise there is the Millennium Eye from Yu-Gi-Oh (2011), the masonic medallion (with Eye of Providence) from National Treasure (2009), the Eye of Agamotto from the Marvel comic book Doctor Strange (2009), and lastly there is the seeing stone from Coraline (2009). Here's thanks to each and every person who has visited Tektonten Papercraft in the past seven years. I couldn't have made it this far without you!

November 2, 2015

Halloween is past, but today marks the third day of El Día de Muertos (The Day of the Dead). The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday when prayers are said for deceased family and friends. This papercraft skull was inspired by traditional Mexican decorations displayed this time of year. Creator Jonny Chiba intended for the skull to be used as a decortation for both Halloween and El Dia de Muertos. The template for the skull (available here) is black and white and may be colored however you wish.

October 29, 2015

One of the most memorable parts of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is when Ron Weasley opens a "howler" from his mother. A howler is a magical letter that loudly recites its angry message in the voice of the person who wrote it. Once its message is has been delivered, the howler bursts into flames and disintegrates to ashes. This delightful origami howler was created by Vitor Bravin. On his web site, Arte Potter, Vitor offers detailed instructions on how to fold the howler. He also offers two different printable calligraphy messages for inside the howler, one in Portuguese and one in English. The printable message duplicates the message received by Ron in Chamber of Secrets. Bravo!

October 26, 2015

Here is another excellent Zelda papercraft from Otaku Crafts: a life size Majora's Mask. Love those vibrant colors! I also like that the mask is large enough that it can be worn as part of a Halloween costume (although it might take more than a single strand of elastic string to keep it on your face ^^). Pepakura PDO and PDF templates, as well as detailed photo instructions, are available here.

October 25, 2015

Last year for Halloween, Digitprop created a pair of Frankenstein paper toys. Based loosely on the appearance of the characters in the 1931 movie, Frankenstein, these toys leave no doubt as to who is Frankenstein and who is the monster. ^^ Templates for the toys may be found here.

October 20, 2015

Here is an easy happy bat papercraft for children to make at Halloween. The bat has just one piece which is folded and attached together without glue to make what you see. In addition to the black bat pictured, there is also a white bat available. PDF templates for both bats are available at the Krokotak website.

October 18, 2015

There are several Jack Skellington paper models around, but this is the first I have found that is an official Disney papercraft. It is available at the Disney Family website. Since the model is intended for children, some parts have been simplified, like the head which is 2D, unlike the body which is 3D. The finished model is 18" (45.7 cm) tall. Build photo is by Louise. Jack Skellington is the main character in the 1993 Disney stop motion movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas.

October 14, 2015

In the 1987 Star Wars parody movie, Spaceballs, the character Lone Starr pilots a "space Winnebago" called Eagle 5. A paper model of the Eagle 5 was created in 2012 by papercraft designer, Squirmydad. Squirmydad's templates for both a 15mm scale model and a larger version may be downloaded here (look near the bottom of the page). The build photo above by DeviantART member, Dented-Rick, shows a "miniaturized" version of the model that can be achieved by printing the 15mm template at a smaller scale.

UPDATE 10/15/15 - It has come to my attention that the model in the photo is not Squirmydad's design! It is a different model designed by Butch Price. The template for Butch's model may be downloaded here. Both are excellent models, but each has a slightly different appearance. From what I can tell, Butch's model is closer in appearance to the actual Winnebago that appeared in the movie. Sorry for any confusion!

October 11, 2015

This nifty papercraft cauldron is just the right size to store a bit of candy on your desk for the Halloween season. The cauldron was designed by Rob Ives and is available for download at the Brother Creative Center. Ever since the time of Shakespeare's Macbeth, black cauldrons have been associated with witches' brew and the arcane work of alchemists.

October 8, 2015

What better Halloween origami than a bat? Whoever folded this one did an exceptional job. I especially like how the eyes were achieved by creating voids at the folds in the head. The fold pattern for this bat is based on a pattern created by Georte Rhoads. Step by step instructions on how to fold the bat may be viewed here.

October 5, 2015

Pictured is a paper model of Godzilla as he appeared in the movies of the 60s and 70s. This model is one of five kaiju papercraft that were offered as free downloads by the Epson Company in 2014 to celebrate the release of the 30th film in the Godzilla movie franchise. An A4 sized PDF template with instructions may be downloaded here. Previously posted paper models in the series may be found here:

October 4, 2015

In the early 80's, Marvel Comics introduced a group of teenage mutant superheros (and no they weren't turtles). ^^ The group was given its own comic series: The New Mutants. Designer Xavier Gale-Sides has created papercraft versions of each of the New Mutants characters. From left to right there is Karma, Cannonball, Moonstar, Sunspot and Magik. Templates for each of the paper toys may be downloaded here. Volume 1 of New Mutants was published from 1983 to 1991.

September 30, 2015

From Martha Stewart: printable hanging Halloween lanterns! Dear Martha, always the over-achiever, makes the construction of the lanterns more complicated than perhaps they should be (read the instructions to see what I mean), but they do look very nice. In addition to the witch and owl lanterns pictured, also available are two different cat lanterns and a moon lantern. Battery-operated votive candles provide illumination inside. PDF templates for all five lanterns may be found here.

September 28, 2015

Elder Scrolls Online is a MMORPG released in 2014. The events of the game occur in the same universe (but 1000 years before) the events of the Elder Scrolls: Skyrim video game. This paper model of a trebuchet from the game was created by Rocketman Tan. A trebuchet is a type of siege engine that gained popularity in the Middle Ages. It operates by making use of a counterweight to fling projectiles. A PDF template for the trebuchet model may be downloaded here.

September 25, 2015

It's the time of the year for posting spooky papercraft! Here is some Harry Potter origami: a dementor. In the world of Harry Potter, dementors are dark, "soul-sucking" spirits that are charged with guarding the prison of Azkaban. Video instructions on how to fold the dementor may be found here. Build photo is by Lilybett.

September 21, 2015

As an educational outreach to teach the details of sixteenth-century Spanish galleons, the San Diego Maritime Museum offers this free paper model of the San Salvador. In 1542, the San Salvador was the flagship of the first European fleet to enter San Diego Bay. A medium difficulty model and an advanced level model are available. Templates for both the 1:100 scale models may be downloaded here. Earlier this year, the Maritime Museum completed a functioning full scale replica of the San Salvador.

September 17, 2015

Lilo and Stitch is one of but a handful of Disney animated films to feature extraterrestrial characters. In the movie, Stitch (also known as "Experiment 626") is a genetically engineered alien creature who escapes to Earth only to be adopted by a Hawaiian girl who thinks he is a dog. This excellent paper model of Stitch was created by Korean designer, Hano. A download of the template for the model is available here (click on the text next to the green numeral 2 near the top of the page, then click on the text that has the letters "PC" in the middle). In 2011, I released a life-size paper model of Stitch's ray gun. It may be found here. [Stitch build photo above by Sinsis]

September 14, 2015

Neil Gaiman's influential comic book series, The Sandman, introduced many memorable characters. One such character is the protagonist of the series, Dream. Dream and his six siblings are personifications of seven different universal concepts that all begin with the letter "D". These paper toys of Dream and his sister, Death, were created by Nacci, a Sandman fan who is also an illustrator. Printable templates for the toys may be downloaded from Nacci's website, Fanzineria. The original Sandman series was published from January 1989 to March 1996 under DC Comics' Vertigo imprint.

September 10, 2015

Described as a “sinister inter-dimensional bureaucrat”, G-man is a popular reoccurring character in the Half-Life series of video games. The dozens of outrageous Garry’s Mod images of G-man to be found online have propelled the character to meme status. I built this papercraft G-Man bust as a favor for a friend. The bust is based on G-man's appearance in Half-Life 1. The finished model stands about 8” (20 cm) tall. Letter and A4 sized PDF templates (plus a Pepakura PDO file) may be downloaded here.

September 7, 2015

I have been watching episodes of an anime called Girls und Panzers. The story line of the show follows the exploits of several groups of teenage girls who participate in tank warfare as a sport. As far as I can tell, all the tanks that appear in the show are historic tanks from World War II. Fun stuff! Wondering if there was any papercraft related to the show, I did a little research and found this gem. The Pepakura PDO template for the model may be found here.

September 4, 2015

Markus at Digitprop designed a Jonah and the whale paper toy for kids to build in a church class. I like how there is a place for Jonah to fit inside the whale's mouth. :) Jonah is thought to have lived in the 8th century BC. His story is told in the biblical book that bears his name. The easy-to-build, single page template for the toy may be downloaded here.

September 3, 2015

In honor of Grumpy Cat's second birthday last year, CatchMyParty created a Grumpy Cat paper toy. The toy is based on the Cubeecraft template, so that means no glue required! The printable template includes two blank thought bubbles, so you can have Grumpy say whatever you like. My favorite GC phrase is a simple "No". :)

August 31, 2015

Intended for use in tabletop gaming, these miniature papercraft starships were released waaay back in 2007. Thankfully, they are still available for download (here). This collection of capital ships, known as "Robofleet", consists of four different models: a battleship, a carrier, a corvette, and a cruiser. A nice feature of the set is custom ships may be created using component parts from the four models.

August 27, 2015

I was unable to determine the origin of this antique paper model of Abraham Lincoln's birthplace. The template is written in Danish and seems to be part of a papercraft series of famous houses from around the world. I think it is likely the model was published by the Danish magazine Illustreret Familie-Journal. A scan of the template may be found here. To give you a sense of the scale of the model, the flagpole is a toothpick.

Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in a one room log cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky. The exact appearance of the cabin in which he was born is not known. The structure depicted in the paper model is a reconstruction built in the late 1800's. At the time the replica cabin was built, it was believed that some of the logs used in its construction came from the original Lincoln family home.

August 24, 2015

"Eeveelution" is the term fans use to describe the eight Pokemon that evolve from Eevee. Eevee and seven of her eight eeveeloutions have been recreated in paper by a Japanese papercrafter. Included in the set are Eevee, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon, and Glaceon. JPG templates for each of the eeveelutions may be downloaded here. Build photos by DeviantART member Dustofstarz.

In Disney's Snow White, the Evil Queen consults a magic mirror to obtain arcane knowledge. Imprisoned within the mirror is a mystic being known as the "Slave". This being appears in the form of a talking theater mask. Above is my build photo of a paper model of the magic mirror mask. To create this papercraft, I modified a 3D model from the Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep video game. The finished model is 1:1 scale. PDF templates in A4 and Letter size, plus a Pepakura PDO for reference, may be downloaded here.

August 21, 2015

In the Star Trek: Voyager television series there are several references to an "aeroshuttle" that is housed in the saucer section of the starship Voyager. However, the shuttle itself never actually appears in any of the show's episodes. This 1:150 scale paper model is based on a CGI model that was created for the show, but never used. A papercraft template for the aeroshuttle may be downloaded here. Official Star Trek sources describe aeroshuttles as capable of atmospheric flight as well as interstellar travel at speeds up to warp 3. The Voyager areoshuttle is said to have a cockpit designed for a crew of four.

Welcome!

At Tektonten Papercraft you will find free papercraft designed by the blog's author, links to free printable paper models, as well as info on all types of paper constructions including: paper toys, dioramas, pop-ups, and origami. Enjoy your visit!